Hugh Falconer MD, FRS | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 29 February 1808 Forres, Scotland |
| Died | 31 January 1865 (aged 56) London, England |
| Alma mater | University of Aberdeen University of Edinburgh |
| Known for | Precursor of punctuated equilibrium |
| Father | David Falconer |
| Awards | Wollaston Medal 1837 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geology, Botany, Paleontology |
| Institutions | Saharanpur Botanical Gardens Calcutta Medical College Agric. Hort. Soc. Bengal |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert Jameson |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Falc. |
Hugh Falconer MD FRS (29 February 1808 – 31 January 1865[1]) was a Scottish geologist, botanist, palaeontologist, and paleoanthropologist. He studied the flora, fauna, and geology of India, Assam, Burma, and most of the Mediterranean islands and was the first to suggest the modern evolutionary theory of punctuated equilibrium. He studied the Siwalik fossil beds, and may also have been the first person to discover a fossil ape.
- ^ Bettany, George Thomas (1885–1900). . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co.